Bad Reaction To Skateboarder

[Staffyluv]

I have 2 pound dogs here:

2 year old Kelpie cross (Gussy - foster)

9 month old staffy cross (Ziggy - keeper)

Walking the boys together is not the easiest of tasks. The staffy is still 'exhuberant' on the start of every walk but the Kelpie is great - he keeps pace with me.

Walking them separately is great and joyful.

Walking this morning we had a teenage skateboarder come up behind us (we were on the path, he was on the road next to us).

The staffy did nothing but the Kelpie started barking and growling and actually went for the kid. When the kid was out of reach, he turned and started to growl at the staffy and lunged towards him.

I used my 'stop' command - which bought the staffys focus back on me but it took 5 or 6 firm 'stops' to get the Kelpie to sit but he was still very aggitated. So we waited until he calmed a bit before moving on.

So my question is - do I try and get some of the local kids with skateboards to ride past us on walks so he gets used to it and learns to ignore them?

Should I do this with him on his own or take the staffy as well (I don't want this to escalate). I was very surprised that he went for the staffy like he did this morning.

He is not past telling the staffy to back off when he has had enough and the pup does without any issues (so far, so good) - this has only been a couple of times and we have had them both for 2 months now.

Also I noticed when we all walk together the Kelpie is not happy to meet other dogs but when it is just him and I, he is happy to meet others.

The staffy is really submissive and very friendly - always happy to meet others (dogs, cats and people - not so good with birds).

Thanks in advance (again)

[megan_]

I wouldn't try more skateboards until I had a plan on how to deal with it. More exposure isn't a cure alone. In fact, you can make the problem a lot worse and endanger the safety of the kids - after all, skateboard comes, dog lunges at kid, skatemoard goes away = dog learns that aggression makes bad things go away!

What the kelpie did to the staffy was redirected aggression. It can be very dangerous, for you and both your dogs. I'd consult an expert and in the meantime I'd walk them separately and read up on "look at that".

[ChristineX]

Hi staffyluv, it sounds like the kelpie re-directed onto your staffy - recruiting some kid skateboarders sounds like a good idea, but leave the staffy at home for a while until the kelpie is coping better, then add the staffy in. Try the look at that game, but start with the skateboards well across the other side of the road to begin with. Also check the kelpie out with bikes and prams as well, and see if that noise also affects him.

And Happy New Year!

[persephone]

Please consult a professional, and get help with this one ..it would be awful if a mistake was made and something worse happened .

Any aggression /fear at this level is best assessed by a good trainer/behaviourist.

[Staffyluv]

OK thanks everyone - I will look into a trainer/behaviourist as soon as possible and walk them separately from now on...

The funny thing is that he does not react to these sorts of things when the staffy is not there. If it is just him, he is an absolute delight to walk and meet other dogs and people..

Does anyone know a particular trainer in the Canberra area that is good (we have who the vet recommends to us and I was going to call him when we first got the boys but we had a couple of really large expenses and just could not afford it at the time - all resolved now, so will get us the help we need).

[trifecta]

I have suggested someone local via PM

[dancinbcs]

I am not surprised at a Kelpie X having a go at a skateboard but directing the frustration towards the other dog is way over the top so the help of a trainer would be a good idea. I have had several BCs that would lunge at a close skateboard or rollerblades but never worried about bikes or prams. It must be the sound of those particular wheels that stirs them up. Thankfully we rarely came across them because I don't tend to walk anywhere there are normally skaters. Quite frankly I would have given the teenage kid a blast for skating that close to dogs particularly from behind. That is just asking to be bitten.

[Weasels]

There is a recent discussion of dealing with reactivity in the kelpie thread

Weez does this too (the barking and lunging, not the redirection fortunately). We are working with a trainer to gradually decrease distance and increase speed of scooters, bikes and skateboards without him reacting using counter-conditioning and focus exercises.

When you think about it from a dog's perspective there is a lot wrong with skateboards - the speed, the noise, and the fact that Humans Shouldn't Move Like That Sheepdogs in particular have the double whammy of wanting the world to be 'just so' and also the instict to stop things that are moving fast. I'm actually more amazed that my girl kellpie is so good with skateboards rather than that my boy freaks out

[Staffyluv]

Thanks all, I have the name of a few trainers now and have chosen to call a local one that come recommended by a few DOLers.

Hopefully we can nip (no pun intended) in the bud before it becomes an issue.

I am just glad that my staffy type boy is so submissive and just rolled over - he has a good 6kg on the Kelpie now and I hate to think how it could end if let go...

At the moment, I am watching the two of them in the pool out the back, while there is thunder clapping overhead - they are taking turns jumping in and out of the pool...

They are such clowns together, I think that is why it took me by such surprise that the Kelpie would do that.